Denver Police Chief Robert White observes a moment of silence before a City Park jazz concert held as a tribute to late Denver police Officer Celena Hollis, who was killed a week ago at the venue. City officials asked the community to show their support by joining the vigil and wearing purple, Hollis' favorite color.

Members of Celena Hollis' family walk past law enforcement officers during a silent vigil Sunday in City Park.

Celena Hollis' family gathers for the City Park Jazz tribute just feet from where she was shot a week earlier.

A week after Denver Police officer Celena Hollis was fatally shot just as the weekly summer jazz music concert ended at City Park, the music was rolling again, and people at the park said they felt a sense of peace.

“The atmosphere here feels the same, except everyone is more calm,” said Lola Hurst, a Denver resident who went to Sunday’s Jazz in the Park concert dedicated to Officer Hollis.

“It’s an honor to be here, it makes you feel proud of the city,” said Hurst’s friend Linda Futrell.

Purple ribbons — Hollis’s favorite color — adorned every tree at the park, and others passed out smaller ones with pins for park-goers to wear as a show of support.

More than 100 police officers and sheriff’s deputies also were at the memorial concert.

During a vigil before the music started at 6 p.m. officers and residents cleared the way for Hollis’s family, including her daughter and mother.

About 30 family members were escorted by officers into the pavilions as the crowds saluted and applauded for them.

Speakers during the vigil urged Denverites to take their park back and make a stand against violence.

“Stop being afraid and get involved,” said Sherri Landrum, mother of a 21-year-old who was killed in a gang-related incident in Denver in 2004.

Many of the residents at the park said they were there to do just that.

“We’re not going to allow the actions of a few people dictate what we do,” said Tammy Lewis, who said she and her friends are at the park every week.

Mary Beall — the mother of another Denver officer who worked closely with Hollis — doesn’t often go to the City Park jazz festivals, but said she attended this week to honor Hollis and make a point against violence.

“That was his best friend, so it’s been real hard,” Beall said. “This turnout is great. It’s proving violence can’t stop the people.”

Before the concert kicked off with Lionel Young singing “I Once Was Lost,” Mayor Michael Hancock also repeated the message in his speech.

“People want to take us back to the ’80s, the ’90s,” Hancock said. “But we don’t compare ourselves to other cities. We’re not a city of violence; we’re not a city of gangs. We will never surrender this city.”

People were then urged to turn around and introduce themselves to a stranger just like officer Hollis — a friendly person as described by everyone who knew her — would have done.

Odessa Stribling said she trusted that the mayor and the Denver Police chief would do everything they could to keep the city safe.

Yesenia Robles was a breaking news reporter for The Denver Post, working with the organization from 2010-2016. She covered education, crime and courts, and the northern suburbs. Raised in Denver, she graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder and is a native Spanish speaker.

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